On this day in aviation history, December 21, 1936, the Junkers Ju 88 made its first flight. This aircraft would go on to play a vital role in the German Luftwaffe’s campaigns across Europe ...

The Ju 88 packed a payload of up to 1,400 kgs (3,100 ... thus constituting a 15.3 percent chunk of the 1,977 total Luftwaffe aircraft losses for Herman Goering’s ultimately doomed campaign.

the Zero quickly gained a reputation among the deadliest aircraft as the United States immediately declared war on Japan. Initially intended to be a fast bomber, the Junkers Ju 88 proved far more ...